Sony Lets Slip New eBook Reader

Just 24 hours ago I said the eBook market is hotting up and then, like clockwork, here comes Sony with an answer to Amazon’s impending Kindle…

The ‘PRS505SC’ is typical Sony in that it complicates the previously straightforward ‘Reader’ name (would Apple announce the iPod SHR9665TK when it made a new model?!) and I have to say I much preferred the styling of the old version but there are tech benefits.

For a start, the Reader v2.0 can handle an incredible 7,500 page turns from a single charge and can be charged over both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0, meanwhile internal memory (which is curiously not specified) is claimed to be capable of storing up to 160 books. This number can then be augmented via the Memory Stick Duo expansion slot or used to hold AAC, MP3, Word, Jpeg and PDF files which the Reader can also output.

Currently the PRS505SC is only compatible with Windows XP and Vista, but has already turned up (then been pulled down – naughty, naughty) on ‘Abt Electronics’ with an RRP of just $299, so expect it to appear any minute on Sony Style for pre-order.